Projects
by BregoArodShadowfax
Summary: It doesn't take particularly long for him to decide to make Marius his next 'project', as it were. The only problem happens to be that Marius doesn't understand the fine art of subtlety, so he's going to have to use a much more...direct method of making his intentions known. Courfeyrac/Marius


**Title:** Projects  
**Fandom: **Les Miserables  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** PG-13 ish, probably  
**Characters/Pairing:** Courfeyrac/Marius, others implied because I can't keep my multishipping tendencies away from anything  
**Chapter:** 1/1  
**Word Count:** 1851

**Projects**

It doesn't take particularly long for him to decide to make Marius his next 'project', as it were. There's really no denying that the boy is pretty…exceptionally so, although he's at that stage in life that (thankfully) Courfeyrac never had to go through where the world is starting to take notice that he's becoming a man but in his mind he still views himself as a boy.

Courfeyrac's always known that he's uncommonly handsome, and he's used it to his advantage more often than he cares to remember (something which some of his friends disapprove of, he knows, but life's bound to be too short as it is so he doesn't see the harm in having a little fun with the time he has).

Regardless, he knows about the girl…everybody in the city probably knows about the girl because Marius won't stop talking about her, but he also knows that Marius is the type of man who won't so much as touch a woman unless he's married to her.

Which, again, gives him a rather large advantage, because Marius is rather like any other young man…that is, he must get urges from time-to-time, and it's always much more pleasant to have somebody else to satisfy said urges with. Plus, of course, living with Marius already makes things easier right from the start.

Yes, he thinks with a smile as Marius comes back into their living quarters, babbling about his girl again and with his cheeks flushed slightly from the cold spring wind, Marius is most certainly going to be his next project.

000

He's not, however, quite so confident a couple of weeks later. Normally he doesn't bemoan his love life to anybody for it would quite ruin his reputation, but he has at least one friend who will keep his secrets. It takes a lot of convincing to allow Courfeyrac to even buy him one cup of coffee, but once they're seated and drinking, he broaches the topic.

"I don't quite see what your dilemma is," Feuilly shrugs one shoulder and stares out at the street, his eyes narrowed slightly. "That is, I'm sure even your ego can handle a rejection if it should come to that."

"It isn't about my ego. It's a matter of pride, my friend, and the truth is that I have never…not once…been turned down. It's taken a bit of convincing on occasion, but there has never been an outright refusal and I hardly wish to change that now," he admits, because it _is _a rather important thing to him.

"So what seems to be the matter this time?" Feuilly looks like he'd rather not be discussing this but Courfeyrac's not at all put off by that.

"I've been…trying to see how he responds to me…getting closer to him. Nothing that would seem strange, just…spending more time around him, walking a little too close when I pass by him, taking his arm while we're on the street. He's hardly reacted at all, but I sometimes think his head's in the clouds more often than Jehan's is. And that's saying something," he notes, because Marius seems to drift a lot.

"And you're…unsure if he's truly not bothered by it or if he honestly hasn't noticed?" Feuilly asks, leaning forward a little and getting a nod in return. "Well, the way I see it, you have two choices: you make a bold move that leaves no question as to what your intentions are, or you let it go. I don't know Marius well, but it seems like subtlety is not something he responds to."

"You're probably right," Courfeyrac admits, a little discouraged, because this is the most work he's ever put into something of this nature. "But…"

"I've done my advice-giving for the day," Feuilly holds up his hand. "You have to figure out for yourself if he's worth risking your pride over," he's smiling a little now and Courfeyrac knows he's jesting, but that hardly means his problems are solved.

"You know that I'm very…particular about who I choose to pursue," he says vaguely, leaning back in his chair and getting as comfortable as he can. "That is, I not only have to find them attractive, but also to know that they won't react unfavorably to the idea of being with another man, and with myself in particular. There are certain people I'd never dare approach because it would not end well for me," he laughs a little and Feuilly nods, because they both know people who would fit into that group.

"I'm not certain if knowing this should leave me feeling privileged or not, but I suppose I should be thankful I've seemingly met your…requirements," Feuilly replies smoothly, arching one eyebrow a bit, and Courfeyrac knows that he's not offended in the least. There are, after all, other reasons that he's chosen Feuilly above anybody else to speak with. "I need to be off, though. I'm sure whatever happens with Marius, it will all turn out for the best," he stands up and wraps his thin coat a little tighter about his shoulders.

"Do I have a place to stay for the night should things go horribly awry?" Courfeyrac has to ask, and Feuilly shrugs and turns away, starting to walk down the street.

"You won't need one," he eventually calls back, and Courfeyrac sighs heavily and leans forward over the table, wondering why for once somebody has more confidence in his abilities than he himself does.

000

In the end, he decides that going about this in the least subtle way he can is probably what will gain him the best result, be it positive or negative. He's rarely ever nervous, but he's so unsure as to how Marius will react that he keeps looking at the door, willing the time to pass faster.

As it stands, Marius enters to find him lounging on the bed, shirtless, a cigarette between his lips as he studies the nearest textbook he could get his hands on, and he looks up and blows out a stream of smoke as the other man takes a step backward.

"Am I…interrupting something?" Marius asks, looking unsure as to whether he should move farther into the room, and Courfeyrac shakes his head and tries to muster up his usual confidence, smirking and setting the book aside.

He pats the space beside him and removes the cigarette from his mouth to blow some smoke into the air, one eyebrow raised. "I assure you, you're not. I was…waiting for you," he sits up a little and he can see the younger man swallow, more unsure than he's ever seen him. For all Marius seems unaware of the world around him, Courfeyrac can tell that at this moment he's _quite _aware of what is going on.

"You were," Marius speaks slowly, as if he's searching for more appropriate words, but he makes no moves toward the bed. "I'm not entirely certain that I…"

"It's not difficult to understand," Courfeyrac interrupts with a wave of his hand. "I assure you, whatever you're thinking at this moment is most likely true."

"Then you…with…you know I have…"

"Your girl, yes. But since you and she have not yet progressed past the stage of staring longingly at each other, she cannot truly be a factor in this," Courfeyrac knows that he's starting to warm Marius up to the whole idea and he sits a little straighter. "I also know that you would hardly sully her honor before you are legally wed, but as a young man you must have…needs from time to time."

Marius looks down, abashed, and Courfeyrac knows that he's getting to him now.

"So think of this as an opportunity. You are able to fulfill your physical desires, and you can truthfully say that you have never touched another woman if she should ever ask," he watches Marius sigh, reaching to remove his coat and cravat and Courfeyrac does not hide his smile at the actions.

"You…that is, you have done this before?"

"Many times. Not as often as I might wish for it is hardly the…safest option, and it has to be with people I trust, but I promise you it will be enjoyable," he moves toward the edge of the bed and holds out his hand, Marius taking it after a second's thought and allowing the older man to guide him onto the mattress.

"Why me?" Marius looks afraid of the answer but Courfeyrac replaces the cigarette in his mouth and speaks around it, his hands straying to work on the buttons to Marius' shirt.

"Why not you? We're friends, you're very handsome, we live together which means we hardly have to sneak around, and I know I'm rather irresistible," he adds, pleased to see Marius' eyes flicker to his chest and then up again. "So it seems logical, does it not?"

"I…suppose," Marius doesn't move when Courfeyrac pushes the shirt off of his shoulders, his hands sliding down the other man's back and coming to rest on his hips. "But I have never…"

"I hardly expect anything from you, Marius," Courfeyrac chuckles, pulling the man closer. "I do know, however, that you learn quickly, and I am sure this will be no different," he tilts his head up so he can press their lips together, feeling Marius respond weakly after a moment and while the young man may have no experience, he certainly isn't horrible at it by any means.

"Courfeyrac, I…" he moves away and Courfeyrac lets him, watches as he lays down beside him, close enough to touch, and he inhales around the cigarette again. He's only halfway through blowing out the smoke when Marius kisses him, clumsy and full of nothing but youthful exuberance. Wisps of smoke rise between them, Marius coughing at the taste and smell of it, but when he moves away he's smiling and looking much more at ease.

"I think I had better set this aside or we're going to light the bed on fire," Courfeyrac reaches to place the cigarette in a cup beside the bed, safely out of the way before he turns over and moves so that he's hovering over Marius, legs on either side of the other man's own.

"I think…" Marius reaches to touch him then, hands moving through his hair and curling around his shoulders, just feeling. "I think that I…I'm perhaps not so…averse to this as I had first thought."

"I'm glad," Courfeyrac replies, kissing him more harshly, full of barely restrained passion that Marius matches as he pulls Courfeyrac down to meet him.

000

He's almost asleep a time later, Marius already having succumbed to the lull of slumber as he lies with his head resting on the other man's shoulder, but he takes enough time to congratulate himself on his instincts being correct once again.

And yes, Marius is certainly able to learn quickly, but Courfeyrac has much more to teach him and he has a feeling that this arrangement could prove rather pleasurable for both of them.

In fact, he's rather sure that it will.

**Notes:**

**1. **This fic was mostly inspired by a photoset I made last week: coufeuilly dot tumblr dot com /post/49205627691 (replace the word dot with a period and remove the spaces, and it's probably NSFW but nothing graphic) and I had a lot of people commenting that they could see it being Courfeyrac/Marius so that's where the idea of this fic came from and the rest kind of...filled itself in.


End file.
